


Revenge from the Grave

by Blueskydancers



Series: Secrets and Consequences [11]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Professionals
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-03-30 06:11:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3925813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueskydancers/pseuds/Blueskydancers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Orlando is asked to help in apprehend a known drug dealer with diplomatic immunity - something which falls under the remit of CI5. When he agrees to help he has no idea how much of his past history will come to light and how revenge can cross time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place between October and November 1982

**October 1982**

Lan dropped down onto his desk chair with a huge sigh of relief and ran his hand with reluctance through his grimy hair. Bloody hell, he needed a shower.

Checking that his office door was closed he picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number before leaning back in his chair and propping his trainer clad feet on the desk.

The phone was answered after a couple of rings, “Bean.”

Lan was smiling as he said, “Hey it’s me.”

“Hey, yourself. How’s it going?”

The unspoken promise in the familiar tone made him squirm in his chair. Talk about Pavlov’s bloody dogs…

“Not too bad, I’m pretty much finished for the day and was going to head on home. I’m knackered and need a shower really badly, but I wondered if you wanted to go out for a pint later.”

“I’m not sure when I’m going to get away. We’ve got something going on which might take a couple of hours to sort out. I could definitely be away by seven thirty. We could go and grab a curry or something then. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good, I’m starving as well as filthy.”

He could hear the amusement in his voice when Sean said, “Sounds promising.”

“You need to feed me first, you wanker, we can discuss other recreational activities later.”

“Okay, I’ll get out as soon as.” Sean made the comment sound like a promise of untold pleasure and Lan’s breathing sped up without conscious thought.

He’d barely replaced the receiver and was still trying to get his unruly body under control when there was a loud knock on his office door. “Yeah? Come on in.” he shouted too tired to get up and walk around the desk again.

Two men strolled into his office with an assurance that raised his hackles immediately. The taller and heavier set of the two, sat down in one visitor’s chair and the other one stood leaning against the now closed door, effectively boxing him in. He admired their technique but to be honest it was also pissing him off. It was his office and they were the ones who didn’t belong there.

The sitting one said, “DI Bloom?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Who wants to know?” Lan couldn’t help the snarky response, the man sitting in the chair was looking far too smug.

Moving forward from his position in front of the door the smaller man, offered his hand, “You have to excuse his manners, he doesn’t have any.”

“Charming.” The sitting man ground out the words.

After a perfunctory handshake, Lan’s gaze flicked back and forth between the two men as if he was watching a tennis match at Wimbledon. The practised double act didn’t fool him though. These men were dangerous. 

But he was tired and wanted to go home so, throwing caution to the wind, he snapped, “Cut the crap, I’m tired and I’ve been wearing the same clothes for the past two days. I want to go home, have a shower and something to eat. Just tell me who the fuck you are and what the hell you’re doing in my office.”

Abruptly the playing around stopped and the smaller man pulled up a second chair, sitting neatly. He exchanged a quick glance with his partner and then nodded. “Okay I’ll do the talking. My name’s Ray Doyle and he’s Bodie, we’re with CI5.”

Letting his chair tip back onto all four feet and his own feet fall off the desk, Lan sat up. “CI5?”

Doyle waved his hand, “Yeah. We’re here because we need your help. We’ve got a job on and we need some information.”

“CI5 needs the help of a lowly plod? Has Hell frozen over all of a sudden?”

Doyle snorted with laughter, “Come off it, you’re a bloody good copper. You didn’t end up being the youngest DI in the Met without good reason.”

Surprised Lan said, “You checked up on me?”

“Of course.”

Shrugging, he was too tired to draw this out, Lan asked, “Okay, what do you need to know?”

“I’m not trying to insult you but I have to spell it out. What you’re about to hear is subject to the Official Secrets Act, you can’t talk to anyone about it.”

Lan acknowledged the comments with a nod and let Doyle continue. He’d been in the force long enough to know about CI5. The heavy mob they liked to call themselves, with authority to investigate anything and everything. He’d butted heads with a couple of their operatives during his time in the Sweeney and generally he’d come off worse.

“We have information that one of the big dealers in the city is being supplied by officials at a particular embassy. Unfortunately, the country concerned is very friendly with the current government and they are not keen for us to find out anything about their dodgy dealings as it would be embarrassing for all concerned.”

“Since when did that stop CI5 from sticking their noses into something?”

Bodie interjected, “Since the minister took a personal interest and told our boss to pull us off the case.”

“So is this an official visit?”

Bodie’s lip quirked, “You’ve heard of plausible deniability I presume?”

“Too bloody often.” Lan muttered gloomily, “So what exactly do you want from me?”

Doyle produced a much folded piece of paper from his back pocket and thrust it at Lan, “I need to know if any of these dealers have gone up in the world too fast. You know suddenly have a lot more money or merchandise to throw around. Even rumours would be good.”

Lan took the piece of paper and looked at the three names there. All of them were familiar, but one stood out. He pointed, “Yeah the one here at the end, Ivaylo. He calls himself The Wolf.”

“Why him?” Doyle asked.

“He’s exactly what you’re after. He’s suddenly become a much bigger player, punching above his usual weight. We can’t get a line on him; all we can do is keep nibbling away at the edges. The main problem is that he’s beginning to undercut the other dealers and taking their customers away. In my opinion we’re heading for a war and it isn’t going to be pleasant.” 

“You got a picture of him we can have?” Doyle asked.

“I’m sure there’s one in his file.” Lan got up and squeezed between the two CI5 men. Leaving his office, he crossed to the huge grey cabinet that stood in the corner of the main squad room. Pulling open the third drawer down he flicked quickly through the manila folders that hung suspended there. Finding the one he wanted he pulled it out and returned to his desk, dropping the file onto the surface with a resounding thump. 

Conscious of the impatient scrutiny from the other side of the desk he hurriedly flicked through the pages. He went through the file three times, getting more and more pissed off when he couldn’t find the picture he knew had been there. Shoving the file back to the middle of the desk he picked up the phone and dialled a number, waiting until it was answered at the other end. “Birdie?”

“Yeah, who’s that?”

“It’s Lando.”

“Oh right, hello Lan. How’s that old bugger, Bean?”

Lan had to smile, “He’s fine. As big a pain as ever. Listen, Birdie, I’m after a picture of Ivaylo, you got anything on file for him?”

“Hmm… Name’s familiar. Hang on a sec and I’ll have a butcher’s in the files.”

Lan waited, closing his eyes and slumping down in his chair, Jesus he was tired. Why couldn’t CI5 have waited until tomorrow when he at least felt human?

He could hear the sound of filing cabinet drawers sliding to and fro and eventually a slightly breathless Birdie said, “Buggered if I know where the bloody file on Ivaylo’s gone, Lan. There’s nothing in the drawer at all so I’m beginning to doubt I ever had a snap of him.”

“Don’t worry, mate. I’ll have another look here.”

“Okay. Tell that bastard Bean he owes me a drink.”

“Will do.”

Lan finally looked over at his two unwanted visitors who weren’t really looking at all surprised. “You knew I wouldn’t find anything?” He made the question sound like an accusation deliberately.

Doyle nodded, “I had a feeling.”

“Why?”

“He’s got friends in high places.”

Lan thought for a moment, “Bastard. No wonder that no matter how careful we are, how hard we try to keep the busts secret he always gets wind of it and stays squeaky clean. It’s worrying that our file here’s been tampered with though.”

A speculative look appeared on Bodie’s face, “Have you seen him?”

“Yeah, once a couple of months ago.”

“Could you identify him for us if needed?”

“Yeah I can’t see why not.”

“Great. We’ll keep you posted.” Without another word or waiting for Lan’s agreement both men stood quickly and left the office.

Sinking back into his chair Lan shook his head, bastards! Just what he needed. More complications. Well he wasn’t going to do a bloody thing about it tonight. Right now he was going to go home and spend some quality time with his lover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He unlocked the front door and made a bee line for the bathroom, dropping his rank clothes in a heap on the floor before turning on the water. Once it was hot enough he climbed into the bath. He knew he was hogging the hot water but the luxury of being able to stand under the stream of almost scalding water was irresistible. 

Some time later, the bathroom door opened and then he heard the quiet sounds of clothes being shed before the shower curtain was pulled aside and Sean stepped into the bath alongside him.

Wrapping his arms around Sean’s neck, he pulled him into a passionate kiss.

They broke to breathe and Sean licked his lips in approval, “Best welcome home I’ve had in ages.”

“Good.” Lan let one hand slide down Sean’s torso until he could press lightly against his already hard cock, pushing down until it was standing out perpendicularly from his body. Wrapping his fingers around the girth Lan stroked from head to root a couple of times, relishing the heft and weight of the flesh in his hand.

“Christ, keep doing that and it’ll be all over in a couple of minutes.” Sean almost stuttered.

Pulling his head forward for another kiss, Lan whispered against his mouth, “That’s no good, I really want you inside me when we come.”

Groaning, Sean pulled away and turned him around until he was facing the tiled wall. He moved closer until they were pressed together from neck to knees and Lan could feel Sean’s cock pressing against his cleft.

Sean whispered, “Here or in the bedroom?” His breath ghosting over Lan’s ear, causing the hair on his arms to stand on end, despite the warmth of the water.

“Here, I can’t wait.”

“Okay.”

They knew each other so well that no further words were needed. Closing his eyes, he ignored sight and sound and concentrated on his other senses. His hearing was deadened by the water beating down on his head, and his nose was full of the scent of the shampoo he’d used to wash his hair. His mouth was empty but he hoped it wouldn’t stay that way for the rest of the evening as he really wanted to taste Sean sooner rather than later. For touch he could feel Sean’s hands resting on his hips, his fingers spreading his arse cheeks open but even though he had an idea what Sean had in mind he nearly collapsed when he felt Sean’s tongue stroke over his opening. Leaning forward he let his hands rest against the cool tiles of the wall of the shower. He was going to need the extra support.

The torture seemed to last forever as Sean only used his tongue to prepare him to take his cock. Finally, when Lan thought he was going to scream, he heard the snap as the lid of a bottle was opened, soon after he smelled conditioner as Sean used it to slick himself. Pressing up close against his back, Sean’s cock slowly breached his body and slid inside, only stopping when they were joined fully.

With a moan, Lan let his head fall back against Sean’s shoulder. Sean nuzzled his neck, licking and sucking at the tendon there. Slowly he started to move, keeping his thrusts shallow and slow. The water began to cool so Lan bent forward to turn the taps; they’d need any remaining hot water to clean up afterwards.

The change of angle tightened his channel and Sean gripped frantically at his hips, beginning to thrust with more force. Knowing that neither of them would last much longer, Lan stood upright and leaned back against Sean, feeling his heart beating strongly against his back and hearing the low grunting sounds that Sean made as he thrust harder and deeper.

He reached for his own cock and Sean slapped his hand away, closing his fist around him. Overcome with the sensations Lan found himself thrusting mindlessly, alternately impaling himself on Sean’s hard cock and then pushing into the channel made by his hand. When he felt the warmth of Sean’s release he couldn’t hold back any longer. He exploded, his seed coating Sean’s fingers and the wall of the shower almost to shoulder height. 

Sean pulled out of him carefully and turned him around so that they were facing each other. They shared a soft kiss.

Lan’s stomach rumbled unromantically and Sean snorted with laughter. “No need to ask if you’re still hungry then.”

“Nope, I’m famished and what we just did didn’t help in the slightest.”

“Good I picked up some takeaway on my way in, it’s in the oven on low heat to keep warm.”

Lan kissed him, “See I knew there was another reason I kept you around.”

“Another reason? What’s the first?”

“You really shouldn’t have to ask but if you’re going to make me say it, it’s because you can make me come so hard I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Sean stomach offered its own protest and with a laugh Lan reached for the tap to turn the water on. “How about we clean up and we can talk more over food?”

“Sounds good to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sean put the foil containers from their local Indian on a mat on the table. There was pilau rice, a chicken madras and a chicken tikka for them to share along with half a dozen popadoms and a load of mango chutney. As he set out the plates, Lan poured a couple of lagers and put the glasses on the table.

They ate in silence for several minutes, assuaging their initial hunger. When they finally slowed down, Lan offered, “I had an interesting meeting right after I spoke to you.”

“How come?”

“A couple of blokes from CI5 turned up.”

“CI5? Wow it must be important if they lowered themselves to speak to one of us. What did they want?”

“Some information. They needed to know about dealers who were expanding their businesses.”

“Odd I wouldn’t have thought drug dealers would be of interest to CI5 unless National Security was involved.”

Lan looked thoughtful, “It might well have been. They quoted the Official Secrets Act at me and said that the dealer they were after is probably being supplied by a high ranking diplomat. They also said that their interest was strictly unofficial.”

“Bloody cowboys. They ignore the rules when it suits them.” Sean had dealt with CI5 and even though he didn’t mind that they bent the rules, the attitude of superiority that they all wore like cloaks made him nauseous.

Lan shrugged and spooned up the last of his curry, “I wasn’t feeling particularly helpful so I told them to ask their questions and then piss off.”

Sean snorted, almost inhaling his beer, “I bet that pleased them. Can’t be too many people who’d be that straight with them.”

“Problem is, I think they’ll be back, I couldn’t find a snap of Ivaylo to show them. The one in the file’s gone walkies so they want me to ID him for them.” He took another mouthful of his beer, “The embassy they’re targeting is one that’s particularly friendly to HMG at the moment.”

Sean had to think what Lan meant by HMG for a second then the penny dropped, Her Majesty’s Government. A thought suddenly occurred to him, “They told you a lot considering it was supposed to be all hush hush.”

“Yeah that occurred to me.” Lan leaned away from the table and stretched his arms up over his head, groaning in satisfaction at the way his back and shoulders clicked. A stripe of skin became visible where Lan’s t-shirt didn’t meet his jeans and it was all that Sean could focus on.

His mouth suddenly dry, Sean, blurted out, “Maybe one of them fancied you.”

Lan kept his arms raised, stretching even further, “I don’t think so. Nothing about either of shouted out to me that they were that way inclined. Too busy being macho men. They were nice to look at though and one of them had a really good arse.”

Sean realised he was starring at the sparse trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of Lan’s jeans. He swallowed, “Well I know I can’t resist you so how could they? I swear there are times when I think you could turn a straight man bent.”

Rising swiftly, Lan moved around the table and came over to straddle Sean’s lap. In an instant Sean was hard again and he could only moan when Lan’s tongue joined his own. He needed friction so he lifted his hips desperately hoping that the matching hardness in Lan’s jeans would be enough for now. 

Ending the bruising kiss, Lan whispered in Sean’s ear, “You want to move this up to the bedroom, lover? It’s my turn to have you now isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah…” Was all Sean could manage, dry mouthed, before they stumbled out of the living room and up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan is seconded to CI5 for a few days and he learns more about Bodie and Doyle

Lan knocked once and pushed open the door to George Carter’s office. His superior was on the phone, but he looked up briefly when Lan walked up to his desk. He indicated the chair opposite.

Lan sat with care, at the same time trying to appear as though his arse wasn’t as sore as fuck. Jesus, Sean had been in good form, in the shower and after, last night, pounding into him until he didn’t even have the energy to scream. It had been fucking brilliant.

He looked out the window while he tried not to listen in on George’s side of the conversation. Finally the call ended and George pulled a folder towards himself.

“So, Lando, you thinking of applying for CI5 then?”

“What? Me in CI5? Don’t be bloody ridiculous, guv’nor.”

George sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, “A little bird told me that a couple of those CI5 prats were here yesterday and went into your office.”

Lando felt his hackles rise, Jesus why did his guv’nor have to be such a right royal pain in the arse? “Yeah they were here. And before you start getting put out, you ought to know that they came in, asked a couple of questions and then left.”

“What questions?”

“They wanted to know if any one dealer was suddenly a lot more flush or throwing more money about.”

George suddenly leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk. “Who were they asking about? What did you tell them?”

Lan shrugged. “They showed me a list of names and wanted to know if one of them had been acting up recently.”

“Who was on the list?” 

Lan thought it odd that his boss was so interested in something so minor, but what did he care? As long as it didn’t increase his workload. “They were Dickie King, Bobby James and Ivaylo.”

“Oh. They didn’t mention anyone else then?”

“No, no one else.”

“What about the Adamses? They’re getting more involved with drugs.”

“Nope, didn’t mention them at all, guv. Why d’you ask? You heard something about them?”

George shook his head emphatically. “No. Not a dickey bird.”

Just then the phone rang again. George picked it up and snapped, “DCI Carter.”

Lan stood to go, but George waved at him and pointed back to the chair. He sat back down reluctantly.

George looked at him strangely and said, “Yes, sir, he’s here in my office.”

He stopped to listen for a moment and then replied, “If you’re sure, sir. I think I can spare him for a couple of days. Yes sir.”

He stared at Lan until he wanted to fidget uncomfortably in his seat, but, mindful of his sore arse, resisted the temptation.

“That was Jennings; he’s had a request from someone in CI5 for you to be seconded over there for a couple of days. They need someone to ID Ivaylo.” George smiled at him, “And as far as we know, you’re one of the few in the squad who’ve seem him recently.”

“Yeah, I did, but it was mostly through the lens of a surveillance camera.”

“Just as well, ‘cos that means the bastard won’t have a clue who you are.”

Lan grimaced. “Do I get a say in this, guv?”

“Of course,” Carter grinned, “but not if you have ideas of promotion.”

“Shit! Bloody CI5! The pair I met were both wankers; got right up my bloody nose.”

“Jesus, Bloom, now you know how I spend every minute of every day. Go on, piss off and let me get some work done. I’m off to Marbella in a couple of days for a holiday and I’ve got stuff I need to finish. CI5 are going to be in touch to say where they want you to go tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lan had no sooner got back to his office and sat down when the door opened and the two jokers from yesterday walked in. “Bloody hell! Are you two stalking me? I’ve only just got the word that you need my help again.”

Doyle snorted with laughter. “I suppose it might seem like it, but no; we’re just lucky.” He seemed to reconsider that statement. “Well, maybe I am, but Bodie there isn’t.”

“Right.” There wasn’t much else Lan could add to that statement.

“Okay, just to fill you in. We’ve got a couple of locations staked out right now and we need someone who knows Ivaylo to give us a positive ID. Once we know our man, we’re going to track him and get evidence on his embassy contact. Then we can take that to our boss and he will start a tidal wave of shit until the bastard gets recalled.”

Lan was doubtful. “Your boss; how much of an international incident is he willing to start?”

“Cowley would love the opportunity to start his own person international incident. He has no respect for our elected officials and just loves taking them down a peg or two.”

Lan shrugged. “Okay then. I guess you’ve made me an offer I can’t refuse. When do you want me to start?”

Bodie stood and headed for the door. “How about now?”

Not seeing any reason to refuse, Lan stood too, grabbing his leather jacket from the rack beside the door. Doyle followed him out of the office.

They made an odd group as they headed downstairs and into the car park. Once there, Bodie led the way to a flashy gold Ford. Lan noticed with resignation that it was a two door model; no prizes for guessing who’d be stuck in the back seat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a sigh, Lan sat back down on the rickety wooden chair. Without thinking, he straightened the net curtain, allowing it to fall over the entirety of the window. Jesus, he was bored! He'd been sitting or standing in front of the same window for nearly four hours without a break. His only entertainment had been using the telephoto lens on the camera to ogle a couple of good looking blokes who'd walked along the posh side-street more than an hour ago. He’d also used the lens to get a good view of Doyle’s arse when he left a couple of hours ago.

A noise behind him made him turn towards the doorway as Bodie came in from the kitchen carrying two mugs.

“Coffee?”

“Christ, yes!”

“Black okay? Only the milk's gone off.”

“Black's fine.” Lan took the offered mug and sipped carefully, trying not to burn his tongue.

Settling himself in another straight backed chair, Bodie asked, “So, Lando, what made you join the force?”

Bodie seemed to be asking through genuine interest, so Lan tried to answer the question seriously. Since the business with Brian O'Donnell, he'd had the opportunity to wonder if joining the force had been the right career move. But then if he hadn't joined the force he would never have met Sean.

Realising that he hadn't said a word he finally managed, “I'm not really sure. I think at first it was because I wanted to make a difference. But then I was young and idealistic.”

Bodie laughed. “Yeah I joined the paras for the same reason.”

“Why did you join CI5?”

“Would you believe that Cowley asked nicely?”

“I've never met your boss, but from what I've heard about him, nice isn't a word in his vocabulary.”

“You're not wrong there.”

Lan glanced back out the window; as it had been for most of the morning, the embassy door was closed tight. There wasn't even the usual guard standing to attention outside. He'd always made a point of reading the papers every day to keep up to date with what was going on in the world so he knew that relations between the Barandi government and the Brits had recently thawed appreciably. No doubt the recent discovery of major oil reserves had contributed to the warming.

“Are you sure about your info? Why haven't we heard anything about it?”

“Yeah, we're sure. You have; you know about Ivaylo, you just haven't been able to put it together because you didn't know about the embassy connection.”

Lan yawned. “You're probably right. I've been working on something else for the last couple of weeks anyway, so I've been concentrating on that to the exclusion of anything else.”

“Is the other case finished then? Is that why Carter was able to let you go for a couple of days?”

“Yeah, we arrested the bastards yesterday and charged them. They're in court tomorrow so I'll need to attend the hearings to make sure they don't get bail.”

“Can anyone else go in your place?”

“Not really. They’re challenging our evidence and I need to be there to brief the CPS and make sure they get the facts straight. It would be a real pisser if they screwed up and the bastards walked after I’ve spent so much time on this case.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Ray. We’ve got another location in mind to watch, so maybe we could set up there the day after tomorrow?”

“That would work for me.” Lan nodded before taking another sip at his coffee.

He was curious; Bodie and Doyle had obviously worked together for some time. He could see how easily they could read each other’s moods and always seemed to know what the other wanted without having to resort to a verbal explanation.

“So how long have you and Doyle been together?”

Bodie frowned. “Together?” 

“Yeah, you know, working together.”

“Oh yeah, must be about five years.”

Lan nodded, “Must be good to know someone that well. I’ve been in Drugs for about a year now and I’m still building that sort of understanding with my team.”

“It’s probably different because there’s a hierarchy, Ray and me are equals, we watch each other’s backs. Sometimes I swear he knows exactly what I’m going to say before I open my mouth.”

“You might have something there. Back when I was in the Flying Squad it was different. There was still the seniority but because the guv’nor always mucked in with the rest of us, the team seemed closer somehow. My current boss is the complete opposite. Keeps himself to himself.”

“I heard your old boss was killed during your run in with Brian O’Donnell.”

Lan nodded sombrely; he’d liked Harry Griffiths. “Yeah, he was.”

Bodie continued, “You and your mate, Sean Bean, were hurt too.”

Lan bristled automatically, what he and Sean shared was something special and he didn’t want anyone, even accidentally, making derogatory remarks about his lover “You’ve certainly done your homework.”

“Yeah well, me and Ray like to know who we’re working with. It makes for a lot less surprises.”

“That so?”

“I think so. One time Ray underestimated someone, he ended up nearly bleeding to death on his front room floor.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, a bloody ton of it.”

“He pulled through though.”

“Eventually. The trouble is, the bugger thinks too much and is too much of an idealist. He spent what seemed like forever hanging between life and death, using up his strength trying to figure out if he wanted to live or die.” Bodie took a deep breath. “It was the worst couple of days of my entire life.”

Before Lan could respond, the front door opened and Doyle returned carrying a large white carrier bag. “Food’s here.”

“Great, I’m starving,” Bodie interjected, giving Lan a look that said he shouldn’t refer to their conversation.

“Yeah me too,” He offered weakly, wondering what the hell the reason was for the message Bodie had been trying to pass on to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Chinese takeaway was long gone and it had been dark for a good hour when they decided to give up for the day. Ivaylo was not going to show now.

“So what now?” Lan wanted to know. He still had a job to do and wasn’t going to jeopardise any of his work for CI5.

Doyle looked at him thoughtfully. “We’ve got a sure fire chance for you to ID him. He’s going to be in a particular club on Saturday night. It’s a celebration for Halloween and will go on past midnight.”

Lan looked at Bodie. “Is this what you meant earlier?”

Bodie shook his head. “No, sounds like something else. I’m as much in the dark as you on this one.”

Doyle nodded. “Yeah sorry, I didn’t realise that Bodie had mentioned the original alternate."

Lan shrugged. "It’s okay I can be there.”

Doyle looked uncomfortable. “There’s a problem… or there might be.”

Lan looked at Bodie and he seemed almost as puzzled. If anything, that worried Lan more. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s a gay club.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They want you to go where?” Sean almost shouted, lurching up out of the comfortable slouch that was his favourite position to watch telly.

“A club.”

“You said it was a gay club just now.”

Lan shrugged. “It is. So?”

“Bloody Hell, Lan. Don’t you think it could be a risk to your career?”

“Jesus, Sean, it’s just a club and it’s for the job. No one is going to think anything, assuming they ever know,” Lan said stubbornly.

“But…”

“But nothing. It’s work and they can all go fuck themselves if they want to make anything of it.”

“Lan, it’s not that simple and you know it. The powers that be in the Met are a bunch of homophobic cunts.” Sean tried to speak calmly, even though he wanted to yank the bollocks off those two twats from CI5 for even suggesting that Lan should turn up at a gay club. Didn’t they realise that he would be walking into a lion’s den? Blokes would be selling their own grandmothers to get a piece of him.

“It is simple, Sean. I’m going to stay there long enough to identify Ivaylo and then I'll leave. It’ll probably be an earlier night than if we went to the pub.” He suddenly went on the attack. “What’s really the issue here, Sean? Don’t you trust me? You think I’ll go off and shag someone else?”

“No of course not! I trust you implicitly. It’s the other people there not taking no for an answer I’m worried about.”

Lan stood folding his arms. “You think I can’t take care of myself?”

Sean stood too, walking over to face him. “I know you can take care of yourself, in normal circumstances. I’m just scared you’ll be outnumbered and get hurt. You’re the best thing to happen to me, Lan. I don’t want to risk losing you.”

“I’ll be fine, love.” Lan’s expression became tender and he leaned in for a kiss which Sean was happy to provide.

Keeping his arms around Lan, Sean started running his hands along his spine, pressing lightly on tense muscles, trying to relax his lover.

Trying to lighten the mood Sean said, “I know you said you thought those blokes from CI5 were straight. Maybe they’re not and they’re only taking you to this club so that they can grope you and pretend it is all to maintain their cover.”

Instead of laughing with him, Lan looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure about that any more. I spent a couple of hours with the one called Bodie earlier while we were waiting for Ivaylo to show up and we got to talking. A couple of things he said, and the way he said them makes me wonder if I’m wrong about them and they are really a couple.”

“Really? What did he say?”

“It wasn’t so much what he said as the way he said it. I asked how long they’d been together and he really looked worried until I explained that I meant working together.

“Interesting. You’ll have to see what else you can find out about them.”

“And share all the juicy details?”

“Of course.” Sean smiled. “In the meantime how about we get an early night?”

“Only if we’re not going to bed because you’re tired,” Lan suggested with an evil grin.

“Not a chance. I can think of far more interesting things to do in our bed than sleep.”

Lan’s hands slid around his waist and with minimal effort pulled their hips together. Sean fought to stop himself moaning at the sensation of a matching hardness rubbing against his cock. 

Rolling his hips slightly, Lan said, “You going to share those ideas?”

From the promising look in his eye, Lan was enjoying being teased, so Sean continued. “What’s it worth?”

Lan’s tongue flicked out over his bottom lip and Sean couldn’t hold back a groan. 

Smiling Lan said, “Anything you want, my mouth, my arse, my hand; anything.”

Experiencing an imagination overload, Sean turned off the TV - which they’d been ignoring for the past ten minutes anyway - grabbed Lan’s hand and headed towards the stairs. “You’d best be prepared because I’m going to hold you to that offer - all of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dickey Bird is also Cockney rhyming slang = word


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The death of an accountant and a threatening phone call might be something the Drugs Squad needs to investigate but it's Friday afternoon and Lan is supposed to be going to the club with the men from CI5 on Saturday

It was Friday afternoon and Lan was almost ready to leave work when his phone rang. The temptation to ignore the incessant ringing was overwhelming but he’d never been one to pick the easy option. So, slumping back down into his desk chair, he picked up the receiver.

“DI Bloom.” He answered curtly. He might be answering the phone but that didn’t mean he had to make it too easy for whoever was on the other end.

“Inspector Bloom?” The voice was tentative and didn’t sound like his usual type of caller. It was far too educated for one thing.

“Yes.”

“Oh good,” A sense of relief seemed to flow through the phone line. 

“How can I help you?” One of the things Lan had learned early on in the force was never to ask for a name, they’d volunteer it, if they wanted you to know.

“My name is Arthur Cox, I’m a partner in Cox and Matheson, Accountants. I apologise for phoning so late on a Friday afternoon but I needed to talk to someone urgently.”

“What about, Mr Cox?”

“This is very awkward. I wonder if we could meet somewhere?”

The caller had supplied just enough information to whet Lan’s appetite and had also supplied an incentive to get him out of the office for a while. “Where are you based?”

“In Moorgate, on Finsbury Square. We have an office there.”

Lan thought quickly, “Okay, it’s on my way home so I’ll drop by, say in around half an hour. Will that work for you?”

“Yes, thank you so much. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.” Cox almost gushed his reply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting out of his car in Finsbury Square, Lan leaned down and looked through the passenger window, “I’m going to get on the tube from here, Jim. Get yourself off home early for a change.”

Jim looked so happy at the news Lan felt really good even though he hated travelling on the tube. 

So many of London's underground tube lines had been constructed through the sites of old burial grounds that it was rare for him not to see something during a journey. After a particular harrowing vision at Farringdon station he’d done some research and come up with a match for the story of Anne Naylor, a thirteen year old girl, murdered by her employer and the employer’s daughter.

There was one particular area in Southwark that he avoided whenever possible. It was called Crossbones and was the site of a medieval burial ground for prostitutes and various other poor people. The irony that the brothels on the south bank of the Thames had been run by the Bishop of Winchester – who had collected the profits – but then denied the women working there burial in consecrated ground wasn't lost on him. It also made for some very unhappy spirits inhabiting the area.

“You sure, guv?” 

With a start he realised that Jim had said something.

“Yeah, I’ll give this guy ten minutes before I tell him to get stuffed. I can’t honestly see that an accountant with an office here would know anything of interest to us.”

“See you on Monday, then?”

“Yeah, have a good weekend, Jim. You going to the match at White Hart Lane?”

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

Lan laughed and waved Jim off into the Friday rush hour traffic.

Turning he scanned the door numbers until he found number 46. It was certainly an imposing building which made him even more certain that Cox wasn’t going to tell him anything of interest.

He walked into the building and, after assuring Cox that he was indeed a detective inspector even though he looked so young, found himself sitting on the other side of the desk from Arthur Cox. He looked exactly as Lan had expected, down to the ink stains on his hands and thick bottle bottom glasses.

“So, Mr Cox, how can I help you?”

Cox launched into his story and Lan had the distinct feeling that he’d been rehearsing his words since their phone conversation. 

“I’ve just discovered some very worrying information.”

Lan sighed, he had a feeling that getting anything useful was going to be harder than pulling teeth and even more time consuming. “What information would that be, Mr Cox?”

“My partner, John Matheson has died unexpectedly. He was in Spain. And, to put it delicately, with a woman who was not his wife.”

“Okay… Why do you think this concerns us? Extra-curricular affairs are not against the law.” Lan sat back in his chair and waited for Cox to respond.

“I know that, Inspector. The problem is that John has seemingly been involved in something illegal. I received some bank statements in the post this morning, for an account that John always dealt with but there is far too much money there. I tried to contact the bank to find out more but they refused to release any information because John is the trustee for the account. And now that they know he is dead they have frozen the account until his estate is settled.”

“There isn’t much we can do about that, Mr Cox, unless we have intelligence that a crime has been committed and the money is part or all of the proceeds.” 

“Yes normally I would agree but in this situation you may well have more expertise, Inspector. Around lunchtime I received a phone call, from a man. He asked to speak with John and when I asked how he was linked to John he became quite abusive. He told me, in no uncertain terms I might add, to mind my own business. He demanded that I put John on the line. Of course I had to explain that John had been involved in an accident, whereupon he began to threaten me. Told me he wanted his money and was not going to take no for an answer. He didn’t listen at all when I tried to explain the situation.”

Something about the story rang bells so Lan held onto his patience for a little longer, “What made you think of calling the Drug Squad rather than your local station?”

“The man, he eventually told me his name was Tommy, said that John had been holding money for him and that he needed it now to buy more merchandise. I think I probably watch too much TV but that word, merchandise, instantly made me think of drugs. I do hope I haven’t wasted your time, Inspector.”

Lan weighed up the information he had gathered so far, “Perhaps not. How much money are we talking about, Mr Cox?”

“There is £180,000 in the account which is a very large sum. The thing is I’ve always let John deal with his own clients, while I see mine so I have no idea what he has got himself involved in.”

“How long did you know him?”

“We’ve been working together for about three years. We merged our practices around the time I moved to this location. John contacted me through the ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants) he was looking for someone to share a building with and I was looking for a partner as the mortgage here was a bit more than I had anticipated.”

“Have you seen any of his clients? Did he have meetings here?”

“Not really. Mostly he seemed to meet with them after office hours.”

“So you’ve never seen this Tommy?” Lan had a thought, “Did he have any sort of accent?”

“No, never. No, there was no noticeable accent. He sounded very much a Londoner to me.”

“Well the best advice I can offer right now is for you to sit tight and get your solicitor to apply to the bank to get full details of the account. Make sure you can get the records of deposits and withdrawals, that way you might find more information on who the people are your ex-partner’s seems to have been working with.”

Cox pulled off his glasses and using a pristine handkerchief, polished the thick lenses carefully. “Answer me honestly, Inspector, do you believe that this is drugs money?”

Lan thought quickly, he needed to placate the accountant and keep him off his back at least until Monday. Then he could get Carter involved. “It’s a large sum and in my opinion is quite likely to have come from something illegal but as yet we have no proof of anything.”

“What should I say if he phones again?”

“Well as it’s Friday now, I don’t imagine you’ll hear from him again over the weekend. The banks are closed for one thing and to find your home number wouldn’t be an easy task.”

“My number is ex-directory.” Cox said thoughtfully.

“Exactly my point. Next week, I’ll have a word with my Chief Inspector, he’s on holiday until Monday, and ask him if we can put an intercept on your line here and listen in on your calls. Once we’ve heard Tommy's voice and what he says we’ll have a much better idea of who we’re up against.”

“He sounded very serious and he made threats.” Cox spluttered.

He’d guessed almost from the start that Cox was going to need more reassurance so Lan pulled a card from his jacket pocket and scribbled his home number onto the back of it. He passed the card over to the nervous man. “Look, that’s my home number, if you have any problems over the weekend give me a call and I’ll see what I can do.”

Looking relieved, Cox pocketed the card, “Thank you very much, Inspector. I will of course endeavour not to contact you for the next couple of days.”

“That’s fine. If I’m not around there’s an answering machine, so leave a message. I’ll pick it up as soon as I can, if you do need to call.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Saturday morning**  
Barely awake, Sean tried to turn over but something was pinning his legs and he couldn’t move. In a moment of panic he thrashed around, trying to dislodge whatever was holding him down, but as he woke fully the weight resolved itself as Lan, lying under the bedclothes preparing to administer one of his patented blow jobs.

Heat surrounded his cock but as good as that felt, what Sean really wanted was for Lan to take him and bury himself so deeply inside Sean that neither of them would be able to tell where one of them ended and the other began.

Opening his eyes, he looked down, which was a mistake. Seeing Lan’s mouth stretched around him and the way the light reflected off the saliva coating his cock, he grew even harder.

Lan had figured out he was awake because he looked up at Sean, even while he continued to suck. From the look in his eyes Sean knew that, if his mouth hadn’t been occupied, he would have been grinning. 

“Lan, stop that now. I want you to be inside me when I come.”

The idea obviously appealed to Lan because, with a pop, he released Sean’s cock and let it fall back to lie rigidly on his stomach. Moving slowly he crawled back up Sean’s body, letting his own hard flesh rub teasingly against Sean’s oversensitive erection.

Sean was just about to pull him down for a kiss when the phone beside the bed started ringing.

Lan moved as though to answer it and Sean said, “No, don’t. Ignore it.”

“I want to but can’t. Remember I told you I gave that accountant guy this number?”

Sighing Sean nodded, yeah he remembered but if it was the sodding accountant he had better have a bloody good reason for calling now.

Moving away slightly, Lan picked up the receiver and spoke, “Yeah?”

He listened for a few moments and then said, “Yeah. Okay. No problem. I’ll see you then.”

Dropping the receiver back into the cradle he moved back to Sean, “Now where were we?”

Perversely Sean said, “Who was that?”

“Ray Doyle. He just wanted to sort out the details for tonight. They’ve decided that I should go to this place tonight as Bodie’s date. That way I shouldn’t be bothered too much.”

“Yeah, right.” Sean muttered. He’d never met either of the CI5 wonder boys but right now he thought they were idiots. Had they never looked at Lan? Actually, maybe they were straight and hadn’t really looked at him. Suddenly Sean was overcome with the need to possess Lan; to fill him, take him and show him who he belonged with. 

In a sudden move he reversed their positions, pinning Lan down on the bed, reaching down to nip and suck at the skin at the base of Lan’s neck. He knew he would leave a mark but he wanted it there as a warning to those CI5 prats. Lan was his!

Satisfied at the deep purple mark he’d made, Sean whispered, “Are you still open from last night? Only I’ve changed my mind. I want you now and I don’t really have the patience to get you ready.”

Lan’s smile was answer enough for Sean but he said, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just do it.”

He didn’t need to ask twice. 

In moments, Sean had pushed his way between Lan’s thighs and had buried himself balls deep in his lover’s body. Lan’s gasp had told him he wasn’t as ready as he’d claimed, so Sean held on to the shreds of his control to give him time to adjust.

A small movement of his head was enough for Sean to begin moving in earnest. Harder, deeper and faster, he slammed into Lan’s willing body.

Infected by his urgency, Lan wrapped his legs around Sean’s hips, pulling him forward and increasing the force and depth of each thrust. It was unsurprising therefore when it was only a couple of minutes until they were both coming; shouting and cursing at the top of their voices.

With a groan, Sean collapsed on top of Lan and it was only the frantic pushing and shoving of his partner that made him roll over and off

They both lay there for several minutes catching their breath.

Finally, feeling much better now that he felt as though he’d restated his claim, Sean lay on his side to see his still wrecked lover. “So what’re you planning to wear tonight for the club?” 

The look Lan directed at him spoke eloquently of his certainty of Sean’s madness. He answered anyway, “I’m not sure. I thought maybe the black leather pants and vest. Oh and my motorcycle boots of course.”

It was the last item that gave the game away so Sean grabbed for Lan and started to tickle him. “You’re kidding you bugger! You don’t have any bike boots.”

When he could finally breathe again, Lan said, “I wondered how long it would take you to figure that one out.”

Looking hopeful, Sean said, “Does that mean you have the leather trousers though?”

“Nope, haven’t got those either.”

“Shame.”

“I could always get some, if you wanted.”

“Oh yeah, I’d like that. Especially if they were really tight. I’d love to see your cock hard and raring to go through black leather.”

The image in his head had Sean hard instantly and before Lan had time to react he’d rolled over and pinned him under him once more, plundering his mouth and leaving him breathless.

In Sean's mind, one thing was for certain, Lan might be going to the club with the men from CI5 tonight but Sean was going to guarantee he wouldn’t be able to walk or sit straight, or put what they’d done out of his mind, when he got there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His instincts convince Lan he needs to check on Sean, which doesn't please CI5 in the slightest...

It was after eight and Sean was slouched on the sofa, dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweatshirt, ostensibly watching an inane game show when Lan reappeared in the living room, dressed in close fitting black jeans and a dark red t-shirt which was tight enough to show the muscle definition of his chest. His hair was medium length at the moment, so it had begun to curl a little but was still short enough that his features were easily seen. He looked stunning, which started Sean worrying all over again.

It honestly wasn't that Sean didn't trust Lan – he did implicitly – he just didn't trust the other bastards out there. 

Lan knew him too well, because he came and sat on the sofa beside him, moving carefully, Sean was pleased to notice. 

He could smell Lan's aftershave and without thinking he pulled Lan closer and began to nuzzle at his neck. Seeing the mark he’d made there earlier made him smile.

“What're you grinning at, you bugger?” 

“Nothing.” 

Lan leaned back and looked at him through narrowed eyes, “You look like you're up to something.”

Sean shook his head, “No. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening in front of the box. Match of the Day is on around ten, so I'll probably watch that.”

“Okay.” Lan sighed, “I think I'd rather spend the evening with you than going to some noisy, smoky club and have strangers grabbing my arse.”

Instantly, Sean tensed, “What?”

Lan laughed, “Come on you must have had it happen to you at a club?”

“No, not that I’ve been to many clubs. Anyway, anyone who tried it would have ended up in hospital.” He thought for a minute, “Maybe I ought to come with you tonight.”

Laughing Lan pushed him away, “You silly bugger, I'm just winding you up. Besides that's Bodie's job this evening. He's supposed to growl at all and sundry.”

“Yeah I know.” Sean grimaced. Slipping a hand behind Lan's neck he pulled his head down for a long kiss. When he eventually pulled back, Lan's eyes were closed and his lips were parted, and he was panting slightly. 

When his eyes finally opened, he said, “I love you.”

“I know and you know I love you too?”

“Yeah.” Lan turned slightly so that he could rest against Sean and automatically Sean's arm curved around his waist.

“What time are they collecting you?” Sean made sure his breath hissed against Lan's ear. He knew just what that did to his lover.

“Should be here any minute.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doyle stopped the car with a screech of brakes outside the unremarkable, North London, semi-detached house. Looking over at his partner he took in the freshly ironed shirt and smiled.

Bodie lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

“Just wondering how easy you’re going to find it to keep your mind on the job tonight.”

“Hey! I’m a professional. I can keep my mind on the job.”

Doyle leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “Even when you have to get up close and personal with someone who looks like Lando?”

With an evil smirk, Bodie tipped his head to one side thoughtfully, “Well now that you mention it, tonight’s not going to be any hardship. It'll do wonders for my ego too.”

“I can think of something that’s going to be hard and your ego is big enough.”

“You wound me.” Bodie flopped back against his seat dramatically. Then he sat forward and pulled Doyle’s face close to his, “You know full well that anything I have that’s hard and big is for you and you only. Anyway, looks aside, I’m still not convinced that Lando swings that way.”

Doyle switched the engine off and slid the keys out of the ignition, “I’ve had a word with a couple of mates who’re still in the force and they reckon that there’s never been a single rumour about him or about his housemate, Bean. But knowing how the Met would react, I can understand them being extra careful.”

Bodie gave another of his patented smirks, “Why don’t we both go and knock for Lan, that way we can meet Bean and see what we think about the two of them?”

Doyle nodded, “You’re on.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was only a few minutes later when Sean heard the sound of a powerful car pulling up outside the house. “That them?”

“Probably, they've got a three litre Capri.”

“Flash buggers.” Lan didn't bother to argue the point, Sean noticed with approval.

Lan stood beside the sofa, stretching his arms out over his head, his t-shirt riding up enough to show the sparse line of hair from his navel down to the waistband of his jeans. Sean had to swallow, his mouth suddenly as dry as a desert. Jesus, even after all this time, Lan could still reduce him to tongue-tied helplessness just by lifting his arms. He was completely gone and he knew it.

While he'd been lost in reflection, Lan had finished stretching and left the room, he reappeared a few moments later, wearing a black leather jacket that was a favourite of Sean's.

“You going to let them come in so that I can meet them?”

Lan looked at him appraisingly, “You think you can avoid growling at Bodie if I let him in?”

Sean rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I think I can control myself.”

“Good. Only they're not stupid. They wouldn't still be alive today if they were. So the slightest hint of anything from you and they'll realise what's going on between us.”

Sean took a deep breath. Lan was right, he needed to control his emotions, if only for the next five minutes. 

Lan disappeared out of the door and Sean turned to concentrate on the rubbish that was on the TV. Unconcerned, that was how he had to play it...

Even though his ears were working overtime he played it cool, pretending to ignore the sounds and voices coming from the direction of the front door. He only turned when the door of the living room swung open and Lan appeared followed by two men.

The first, Bodie Sean guessed, was of a similar build to him, with short, dark hair and an aura of capability which reassured Sean that Lan would be well looked after. Not that it was needed, Sean tried to remind himself, Lan was perfectly capable of looking after himself. The other, Doyle, was of slighter build with dark curly hair. Sean guessed that Doyle’s hair didn’t curl naturally, the way Lan’s did when it got too long.

Doyle was wearing a pair of jeans that looked so tight, Sean couldn't understand how he wouldn't be crippled for life, a plain white t-shirt and a brown leather jacket. Bodie was dressed much more conservatively, in dark slacks and a cream coloured shirt, topped with a smart jacket.

Hoping that the movement looked casual, Sean stood, his hands hanging at his sides.

Lan made the introductions, “Sean, this is Bodie and Ray Doyle. This is Sean Bean; he's with the Sweeney and used to be my guv'nor.”

They all shook hands and then Doyle looked around the room. “Nice place you've got here, lots of space.”

Sean nodded, “Yeah, well that's the reason we decided to club together to buy a property. With our pay it's the only way we could borrow enough to get something decent and get a foot on the property ladder.”

After a few minutes of small talk Bodie looked at his watch, “It's going to take a while to get there, maybe we should get going?”

Doyle nodded, “Yeah, you're right. We can brief you on the way, Lan.”

Lan nodded. He patted his back pocket and groaned, “I forgot my wallet, it's upstairs. Why don't you and Bodie go and get in the car and I'll follow. I’ll only be a couple of seconds.”

Doyle shrugged, “Sure.”

Without another word, they said goodbye and left the room.

Sean looked after them, “That Bodie's the strong silent type.” 

“Yeah I know. Come on kiss me and let me go and get this over with. If all goes well I should be home just after twelve.”

How could Sean refuse an offer like that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doyle was still driving so Bodie turned to where Lan was sitting in the back of the car. “You okay about this evening, Lando?”

Lan shrugged, “Yeah. The way I see it all I’ve got to do is stay close to you until I spot Ivaylo. Then I point him out so that Doyle can get a picture or some other way to ID him and then I’m okay to leave.”

“Yeah that about sums it up.” Bodie agreed. “You ever been to a gay club before?”

Lan didn’t answer for a moment or two which raised Bodie’s suspicions that maybe Ray was on to something.

“Yeah, I have once. It was a long time ago, when I was with the Sweeney. I had to follow a target into one.”

Raising his voice slightly, to be heard above the noise from the engine, Doyle said, “So how was it? How many guys tried to pick you up?”

Laughing, Lan said, “Too many. I thought I’d never get out alive.”

“Well looking like you do could be a problem.” Doyle sniggered, “Just as well you’ve got Bodie here to protect you.”

“And I know how lucky I am." Leaning forward, Lan patted Bodie’s shoulder. "How about you guys, you ever been to a gay club before?”

Bodie nodded, “Once or twice. We’ve needed to for jobs.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing where you can end up in the line of duty.” Lan agreed.

A short time later, they were driving through the narrow streets behind Aldwych, heading towards Covent Garden. As they approached a road lined with parking bays, Doyle flashed his lights and immediately a car pulled out of a convenient space so that Doyle could park.

“That’s handy.” Lan noted.

“Yeah well, we wanted the car close by just in case, and parking here is always a nightmare.”

“Where’re we going?”

“The club is called Studio and is just off Bow Street. It’s pretty well known.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Match of the Day was almost over when the phone rang. Without thinking Sean picked it up and said, “Bean.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment until a nervous voice said, “I apologise for phoning so late but this is Arthur Cox, I was rather hoping to speak to Detective Inspector Bloom.”

“He's out, I'm afraid. Won't be back until later on.”

“Oh.” 

There was silence at the other end for so long that Sean thought Cox had hung up. In the end he took pity on the man. “DI Bloom explained your problem to me Mr Cox. I'm also a police officer, is there anything I can do?” Sean had the feeling he was going to regret saying that, but he was bored waiting for Lan to come home, so Cox might provide the right diversion.

Cox didn't bother to beat around the bush. “I've had another phone call from that man, Tommy. How did he find my home number? Mr Bloom said that he wouldn't be able to do that.”

“Phone numbers, even ex-directory ones are available, if you know who to ask.” Sean said. “So what did Tommy want?” 

“His money. He told me that even though the banks are closed, he wanted a down payment on account. He wants me to find twenty thousand pounds tonight, in cash or he suggested that I could hand over my wife’s jewellery. He says I'll regret it if I don’t come up with some sort of payment. I'm absolutely frantic, Mr Bean. I have no idea what to do and my wife is in the house.”

Sean sighed, “Have you tried calling your local police station, asking them for help?”

“Of course! I did that straight after the call. They told me it was probably a Halloween prank and they were short staffed. They said to phone again if something actually happened.”

“Right.” Sean shook his head, he shouldn't get involved in a Drugs case but Lan was out and that bugger Carter was on holiday. He could make a call and get the local boys involved but if it all turned out to be a false alarm the shit would hit the fan with a vengeance and Jack Cartwright would have his knackers. It was no use, he was on his own.

Not knowing what else to do he said, “Okay, Mr Cox. Give me your address and I'll come over. That way if this man phones again I can warn him off.”

“Would you? I'd be so grateful.” 

Even down the phone Sean could hear Cox’s relief.

Copying down the address as Cox dictated, he realised it would only take him ten minute or so to get there by car. He promised to be there as soon as possible before hanging up.

Leaving Lan a quick note saying where he was going and why, he dashed upstairs to change his clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nearly eleven thirty and the club had really filled up in the past hour. Bodie leaned against the bar a five pound note in his hand, vainly trying to order more drinks. Finally a barman saw him and came over. While he was waiting for the beer to arrive he looked over to where Lando was standing and then beyond him to the dance floor. It was a heaving mass of bodies. He could see that some of the men there had made some concession to it being Halloween in half an hour, by dressing as Dracula or ghosts. There was even one guy dressed in full drag complete with a large pointed hat and a broom stick. They’d spent most of their evening loitering close to the club entrance to see the new arrivals, but the costumes had made it difficult for Lando to be sure whether Ivaylo had turned up or not.

He took a mouthful of beer and handed his bottle to Lando, “I need to piss. Just hang on here in case he arrives. Doyle’s just over there,” he nodded with his head, “so he'll see you if you need anything.”

“Sure.” 

He’d done the necessary and was on his way back to the main room when Lando came rushing past. 

Seeing Bodie, he shoved the bottles into his hands, “I need to make a phone call, urgently. Are there phones down this way?”

Gripping the two bottles, Bodie nodded. “Yeah just along past the gents. Is anything wrong, Lan?”

“Not sure. I hope not.” Was the vague answer as he jogged away.

Curious, Bodie dumped the beers and followed.

He watched from a distance as Lando made a call, as he didn’t put any money into the phone, Bodie gathered that the person he was calling didn’t answer. If anything the other man seemed even more agitated when he put down the phone and picked up his coins. Bodie also noticed that he looked very pale.

Grabbing his shoulder, Bodie pulled him to a stop, “What the fuck's going on, Lan?”

Looking distracted he said, “I’m not sure, but something’s wrong with Sean. I know it.”

“How do you know?” Bodie insisted, beginning to feel pissed off.

Lan shoved him away angrily, “Leave off, Bodie it’s too complicated to explain. He’s not answering the phone so I need to go home." Lan started to walk away and then stopped. "Look, I’m sorry about your case but it’ll have to wait.”

Deciding that something serious had spooked Lan, Bodie said, “Bugger, Ivaylo, we can sort it out. If there’s a problem with Sean, let me go get Doyle and we’ll come with you.”

Nodding his head and looking a bit relieved Lan said, “Okay, thanks. I appreciate it.”

Moving quickly, they headed for the exit, Bodie waving Doyle over as they walked.

He fell into step, “What’s up?”

Bodie looked at Lando, who was walking ahead of them, focused entirely on getting out of the place and resisted the temptation to make a joke about hs choice of words. “He thinks there’s something going on at home, that Bean’s in trouble. So he needs to get there as soon as he can.”

“How does he know?”

“Not a clue. But he seemed serious enough about it that I think we should go along.”

“Bollocks! That means we’re going to have to set up something like this again and we're running out of time.”

Bodie nodded, “I know but if you’d seen Lando’s expression, you’d know we’ll get nothing more out of him until he’s convinced Bean is safe.

Doyle shrugged, “It's late so there’s a good chance Ivaylo won’t show anyway.” Then he smiled, “It means I was right though, that there is something going on between Bloom and Bean. Why else would he be so concerned?”

Before Bodie could frame a response, they came up behind Lando who was waiting anxiously by the cloakroom, trying to collect his jacket. A crowd of gaudily dressed people were in front of him, taking ages to deposit their coats.

As he drew level Lando grabbed onto his sleeve. “That’s him! The one dressed in the purple shirt. That’s Ivaylo.” He whispered furiously in Bodie’s ear.

“You sure?” 

“Yes.”

Bodie spoke quietly, “Ray, it’s show time.”

Doyle immediately took charge, “Can you wait five minutes, Lan, for me to get a picture? I promise we’ll get you home as fast as we can after.”

He looked undecided and unhappy but finally nodded, “Okay but as fast as you can please. It feels like something bad is going to happen.”

Deciding that he wouldn’t get concerned that they were acting on the feelings of someone they didn’t know all that well, Doyle nodded. “Okay, you wait here, get your jacket on. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

With that the two CI5 agents followed Ivaylo and his friends back into the club. His party were so noisy and so focused on themselves that it would have been possible for Doyle to take a whole roll of film without them noticing. 

Heading back to the entrance together, Doyle said, “Any more of an idea what’s up with Lando?”

Bodie shrugged helplessly, “Not a bloody clue. He was fine until just a few minutes ago but whatever has spooked him we have to take seriously. He doesn’t seem like someone who runs from shadows.”

“Yeah, my feelings exactly. He’s probably going to need some help to sort this.”

As they moved through the swing doors into the foyer, Bodie agreed, “Goes without saying.”

The foyer was completely empty..

“Fuck! Where’s he gone?” Doyle snapped.

Trying to be optimistic, Bodie headed to the doorway, “He’s probably outside waiting.”

Outside there was no sign of Lando but the rain was coming down in buckets. They looked up and down the road in despair, seeing no sign at all of him.

Above the sound of the rain Doyle shouted, “He’ll never get a cab in this weather. Even if he could find one to leave the centre of town.”

In the distance Bodie spotted the familiar roundel of a tube station. “You think he’s trying the tube? Will they still be running at this time of night?”

“Yeah, for another half an hour at least.”

“Okay, that’s where he’s gone. I’m sure of it.”

“What do you want to do?” Doyle questioned.

“I think we ought to follow him. He was acting completely out of character and I’m worried about him.”

“Okay.” 

Pulling their coats around them they headed off, at a run, to Aldwych tube station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff hanger! Oops...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan's sense of something being wrong makes him do something that could have dire consequences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting, life is very hectic at the moment with long work days and a wedding (daughter's) taking place in 5 weeks time that I need to help finish organising!

Acting purely on instinct, Lan ran towards Aldwych tube station. Bodie and Doyle were going to be pissed with him but he had been physically incapable of staying put in the foyer of the club.

By the time he reached the station entrance he was soaked, but he didn’t stop. He flashed his warrant card at the ticket collector and flew through the barrier. The old-fashioned cube indicators showed both lifts to be still at platform level so he waited impatiently shifting from foot to foot. In the end the sense of urgency overcame his reluctance and he started down the metal emergency stairs. 

He was dizzy by the time he reached the end of the spiral staircase but something kept him moving through the tunnel to the platform as fast as possible. He passed the lower lift doors and noticed that both lift doors were closed and assumed they had risen to the upper level.

The tunnel sloped away and he realised, as he got closer to the platform, the feeling of dread which had made him rush away from the club was fading.

Walking onto the platform, he was surprised to find himself alone. He would have expected more passengers to be waiting as the weather was so bad. No trains were showing on the information board so he headed towards the far end of the platform. It would save him time when he got to his destination. 

He reached the end of the platform to wait and realised that his feelings of worry about Sean had completely gone. That was odd, how could that happen? 

Torn, he wondered if he should go back to street level and try to find Bodie and Doyle. If he did, he could at least apologise for his erratic behaviour.

A gust of wind blew out of the tunnel and he shivered in his wet clothes. He started pacing to warm himself but realised very quickly that it wasn’t having any effect. The cold increased and his breath streamed away like a cloud in a high wind each time he exhaled. The breeze blowing from the tunnel picked up speed as though a train was coming but with an absence of sound. 

Nervously, he rubbed his hands together as the temperature continued to drop. Before long he was shivering convulsively. 

A feeling of something dreadful approaching made the decision for him and, with decisive steps, he headed back to the exit. Something told him he had to get off this platform now.

He’d barely covered any distance when the lights at the other end of the platform, near the only exit, began to wink out, one after the other. Where the lights had gone out the darkness was total. It was almost as though the shadow of an eclipse was moving slowly along the platform towards him, swallowing everything in its path. 

Unnerved he ran, reckoning he could get to the only exit before the lights failed completely.

When he reached the boundary between dark and light it was as though he’d run into a brick wall. The impact knocked him backwards and he fell. Dazed, it took him a moment to realise what had happened. Then, scrabbling backwards on hands and feet, he pulled himself away from the darkness. 

Scrambling to his feet he backed up again as another light winked out. 

Desperately, he tried to stand still and let the border between light and dark pass him but the feeling of something malevolent lurking there terrified him. He continued to retreat along the platform, away from the darkness and whatever was concealed within it. 

Then, he could go no further. His back was pressed against the wall at the mouth of the tube tunnel and there was only one light remaining between him and complete darkness. Despite his fear, the threat approaching was not enough to make him risk running into the tunnel and chance stepping on the live rail or meeting an oncoming train.

His heart pounded in his ears and he couldn’t catch his breath he was so scared. It was almost an anti-climax when a shadowy figure slipped out of the darkness and moved towards him. 

Amazingly he was able to note details. The figure was human and male, dressed in old fashioned clothes, maybe around the time of Charles II from the plumed hat he guessed. He was in no doubt of its supernatural origin. 

Finally the apparition broke the impasse, “So finally, we meet again, Thomas.”

Lan shook his head frantically. “No, you’ve made a mistake my name’s not Thomas.”

The figure smiled at him with something like pity. “You do not know of your ancestry? How sad. You carry the gifts of your ancestors, the fact that you can converse with me attests to that.”

“Gifts? You mean the ability to see things? I’ve always been able to do that.” The part of Lan’s mind that wasn’t gibbering with terror felt amazement that he was coolly holding a conversation with a ghost.

“That talent has been passed down through your family for three hundred years. Ever since your ancestor used the dark arts to take the lives of my family.” 

“What?”

“He killed my family, my wife and four children. They were smitten with foul humours, and died choking on their own blood.”

“But that was nothing to do with me! I wasn’t even born. How can it be my fault?”

“Perhaps not your fault but I swore revenge, on Thomas Hobbes and all his descendants. Tonight, while the veil between the worlds of the living and dead are at their weakest, I’ve come to take my revenge. A life for a life.”

Lan looked around helplessly, there was nothing he could use for a weapon. He was staring death in the eye and he felt powerless.

Suddenly, something clamped around his neck, cutting off his air supply. It felt like a boney claw and he tried to grab at it and force it away from his neck, but his hands found nothing. In desperation, he aimed punches at the figure but his hands passed straight through it.

His throat was on fire but he fought on until his body was screaming out for oxygen and his vision grew hazy. Despite the hopelessness of the situation he was resolute; he had to survive this, for Sean. 

Finally, despite his determination, the lack of air took its toll and his strength failed. His arms fell limply to his sides and his knees gave out. 

As the final light on the platform went out, his struggle for breath ceased and his body fell limply onto the platform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doyle led the way into the station entrance, Bodie close behind. They showed their ID cards to the inspector who commented, “What’s going on down there? Is it something I should report to headquarters? “

“Why do you ask?” Bodie questioned.

“Well another copper has already gone down below. He used the stairs he was in so much of a hurry.”

“When’s the next train?”

The inspector looked at his watch. “Five minutes.”

Doyle looked at the lift indicator and saw that both were now on the upper level. “You take the lift and I’ll take the stairs. That way we can make sure we don’t miss him.” He turned to the ticket collector, "Do me a favour? Keep an eye on the other lift and call us over the loudspeaker system if anyone comes up."

“Okay." The ticket collector looked bemused but Doyle ignored him.

"At least we know for sure he came this way,” Bodie commented.

Waving agreement, Doyle set off down the metallic, spiral staircase. A sense of urgency made him hurry. He had a really bad feeling about this.

When he reached the bottom, Bodie was waiting for him. “Platform’s this way and I haven’t heard a train yet.”

At a run they followed the signs. Reaching the entryway, they paused before charging through the gap into the large tiled cylindrical shape that was a typical tube station platform. 

Doyle glanced quickly from left to right. No one there but, he noted, it was very cold, much colder than he’d expected. He turned to Bodie and, as he did, a flash of red caught his eye. He looked again and saw what looked like a heap of clothing in the distance, near the entrance to the tunnel.

“Oh shit!” He swore loudly and started to run.

As he got closer, the shape resolved itself into a body and he knew it was Lando. Breaking into a sprint, he skidded to his knees beside him, conscious that Bodie had mirrored his movements.

Ducking down, he could just make out a pale face and blue lips. 

Bodie had his hand against his neck and called our urgently, “I’ve got a pulse. It’s weak but it’s there.”

Pushing his hand in front of Lan’s face he held it against his mouth but could feel no sensation of air moving at all. “He’s not breathing.”

Working together, they moved him onto his back. Then they saw the vivid marks around his throat. “Shit! What happened to him?”

Trying desperately to remember his first aid training Doyle checked Lan’s mouth was clear. Pinching his nose he tilted his head back and blew air into Lan’s lungs. Watching carefully, he saw Lan’s chest move as his lungs inflated.

Bodie laid his jacket over Lan, “I’m going to look for an emergency phone. We need to get some help down here.”

Bodie vanished from his peripheral vision and Doyle concentrated on breathing for himself and Lando. Doyle didn't bother to acknowledge Bodie's comment, just carried on with his desperate task.

Bodie returned breathless, “I spoke to the guy upstairs, he’s calling for an ambulance.”

Doyle nodded but didn’t have breath to speak. He checked again but Lando still wasn’t breathing independently. 

“You want me to take a turn?” 

He shook his head, he was determined that Lando was not going to die, not while there was anything he could do about it.

It seemed like forever but could only have been a couple of minutes more when Lando's chest finally moved on its own and he took a gasping, unaided breath. At the same time his eyelids began to flicker.

As he opened his eyes, Doyle leaned closer to try to reassure him. Confusion and something else, something that looked a lot like fear, were reflected in his gaze. Suddenly, Lando shot up into a sitting position and shoved him away.

Sitting back, to give the other man some room, Doyle whispered urgently, “It’s me, Lando, Ray Doyle, I’m trying to help you.”

“Get away from me, leave me alone,” Lando croaked, his voice laden with terror.

Doyle retreated, gesturing for Bodie to stay back but he kept his voice calm. “It’s okay, Lando. I’ll stay here. Just calm down.”

Lando looked around frantically, his confusion evident. “How did I get here?” His voice was faint and it obviously hurt him to speak. Doyle wasn’t surprised, the bruises on his neck meant that a lot of force had been used. 

“You ran here, from the club.” Doyle shifted a little closer, his concern growing. “What happened? Who attacked you? We found you unconscious and you weren’t breathing.”

Lan shuddered and then he grew still. He spoke quietly, almost whispering. “He wanted to kill me, said it was for revenge.”

“Who? Who was it?” Bodie chipped in.

Calmer now, Lan looked at Bodie. “I don’t know. He didn’t say his name.”

Doyle heard the sound of footsteps and then two paramedics appeared through the entrance tunnel, a folding stretcher held by one of them. “The ambulance is here. They’ll take care of you.”

Looking at him in alarm, Lando shook his head. “No. I’m not going to hospital. I need to find Sean. He wasn’t answering the phone and something's wrong. I need to go home.”

“Tell you what. You let them take you off to casualty and Doyle and I'll get over to your place and find out what’s up with Sean. How’s that?” Bodie suggested.

Lan shook his head again, his voice was even fainter now. “No way. I’m fine. I have to find Sean. When I know he's okay, I’ll go and get checked out.”

Knowing it was a losing battle, and Lando did seem okay, apart from the husky voice, Doyle nodded. “Okay. We’ll take you to your place and see what’s going on.” 

Bodie shook his head in obvious disagreement but still walked over to the ambulance crew. “Sorry guys, guess it was a false alarm. Sorry to waste your time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More information about Aldwych station and its ghost can be found [ here: ](http://underground-history.co.uk/aldwych.php)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bodie and Doyle help Lan to find Sean

Lan sat in the back of the car and tried to stop himself shaking. Fortunately, Bodie and Doyle weren’t paying any attention to him. Maybe they were letting his sore throat rest, but most likely they were pissed because he’d rushed off by himself and then refused the ambulance. Going to hospital would mean reporting the attack. He didn’t understand anything that had happened himself, so how could he even begin to explain it to anyone else? Especially a pair as rooted in the here and now as the men from CI5. He was going to have to find a way to explain everything to Sean and that would be difficult enough. He shuddered again; of course, he had to find out where Sean had gone first. He wasn’t going to consider the possibility that the ghost had something to do with Sean’s disappearance. That would be stretching credulity too far. There was still a nagging doubt in the back of his mind though. Maybe it had all been planned?

Deliberately, he tried to stop worrying about Sean and concentrate on the journey. Doyle was driving and thankfully he wasn’t hanging around, travelling just short of too fast for the safety of other road users.

Thirty minutes after leaving the tube station they pulled up outside the house. Wasting no time Lan headed up the path and opened the front door. Before he could go inside, Bodie pulled him back. “Let us go in first, just in case.”

“What?” Lan gaped stupidly until he realised what Bodie was implying.

“Bollocks to that. If Sean’s in there and in trouble I need to do something.”

Bodie tutted and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean that. I meant in case your friend from the underground is waiting. 

Lan's heart started thumping and he thought for a moment or two he would fall over. Before he’d regained his composure, the other two had disappeared inside. He heard them moving quickly through the house, upstairs as well, before he’d managed to gather his wits to cross the threshold.

Hearing no shouts or exclamations of any kind he figured it was safe and entered the house. He’d got as far as the kitchen when Doyle joined him, holstering his gun. “All clear. I found this on the kitchen table.”

He handed Lan a folded piece of paper with his name, in Sean’s usual scrawl, on the outside. Opening it, Lan scanned the note quickly. It told him that the accountant, Cox, had called with a problem and Sean had gone off to help out. 

“Bollocks!”

Doyle was back beside him in an instant. “What?”

“Another case I was working on, it’s too complicated to explain fully now. But it looks like Sean has gone to lend a hand, unofficially.” He turned to look at Doyle. “I need to go there. There’s a slight possibility it was all part of the set-up.”

Bodie laughed, and Lan realised that he’d been listening in on the conversation. “You think we’d let you go on your own? Let’s face it you’re really still not up to driving yet.”

“I don’t want to involve you in something that’s not your concern. You’ve got enough on.”

Doyle gave an evil grin. “Nah, it’s not that simple. Besides we feel responsible in a way. It was being with us that gave someone the opportunity to nearly kill you. Anyway, we’ve saved your life once so you’re our responsibility from now on.”

Lan was tempted to try to wipe the smirk off Doyle's face but he'd probably end up on his arse and look an even bigger wanker than he did already. Instead, he opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, Bodie threw an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t bother arguing with him, you’d be wasting your breath. You need to rest your voice anyway.”

Closing his eyes for a second, Lan gave up. If he was honest with himself, he was glad of their company.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cox lived only a few miles away so, after giving Doyle the address, Lan sat back for the ten minute journey. They turned into the road where Cox lived and Lan saw the flashing blue lights immediately. He told himself it could easily be something going on at another of the houses but in his heart he knew the blues and twos were there because of his case. He groaned aloud when they pulled up across the driveway of a neighbouring property; not only were there three squad cars standing in the road, there were also two ambulances.

Leaving the car he headed for the most senior looking uniform he could find, his ID ready.

“DI Bloom, Drugs Squad,” he introduced himself, hoping the uniform wouldn't question his appearance or lousy voice.

The uniformed inspector looked puzzled. “Drugs? What interest have you got here?”

Looking around for Sean, Lan answered, “I saw Cox on Friday and had reason to believe he was being targeted by drug dealers.”

“Bloody hell. First I have to deal with the Sweeney, then Drugs, who’s next? CI bloody 5?”

Lan opened his mouth to respond but was beaten to it by Bodie. “You called us, inspector?”

The inspector’s head shot round so fast, Lan thought he’d get whiplash. 

“Sod it! Something funny's going on here. If there was some way I could book the lot of you for wasting police time I would,” the inspector muttered in disgust before walking away.

Anxiously, Lan made his way over to the house. He needed to know who the ambulances were for. Just inside the doorway, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Sean was standing there talking to a WPC, thankfully looking completely unharmed. Aware that Bodie and Doyle were close behind him he controlled the impulse to throw himself into Sean’s arms.

“Sean, what’s going on here?” he called out.

Sean looked over. “What’re you doing here, you’re supposed – Fuck it, Lan, what happened to your neck?” 

Before he could reveal too much, Lan whispered quickly, trying to explain. “I was attacked but I'm okay.”

“Okay? Is this your definition or theirs?” Sean glared at Bodie and Doyle.

“Don’t, Sean. It’s thanks to them I’m here at all.” He realized, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, it was the wrong thing to say. Sean’s face clouded over and his expression turned murderous.

Ignoring everyone else Lan grabbed Sean’s arm, pulling him into a corner of the room. He started talking, rapidly. He was going to regret the wear and tear on his voice in the morning but he had to sort this out before Sean’s anger got the better of him. “Listen. I’m fine, a bit battered but fine. Doyle saved my life and I’ll explain everything to you when we’re alone. Right now you need to get yourself together or the cat will be well and truly out of the bag.”

Only after a good long look at Lan, Sean nodded, grudgingly. “Okay. Let’s get finished here and we’ll go home and you can tell me what the hell happened.”

Lan nodded. “In the meantime, maybe you can explain what you’re doing here.”

“Cox called in a panic around half eleven. He’d had another phone call, this one to his private number. I came here so that I could talk to chummy if he called again. I also worked out that, in the event something did happen, the locals would be more likely to answer quickly if another copper was at risk.”

“How were you going to explain being there?”

“Easy, Cox was going to say I was a friend of the family and that he’d spoken to me when the call came.”

“Who are the ambulances for?”

Sean smiled. “Cox. The silly bugger got himself into such a state he didn’t watch where he was going. He tripped over the cat and broke his ankle. The other one is for the guy who made the calls. Turns out he worked at the bank where Cox has his account. He found the deposit and realised something criminal was going on so he decided to get in on the action. He and a friend thought they'd try their hands at blackmail and had actually got up the bottle to pay Cox a visit.”

“What happened to them?” 

“The guy from the bank fell coming over the garden wall, when he tried to sneak in. He said they were just going to break a few windows. Figured that would be enough to persuade Cox to pay up. I heard the racket and, as he couldn’t run, I nabbed him. His mate legged it, but I expect he’ll get picked up later. Chummy is bound to spill his guts when they get him to the station.”

“So are you ready to go home now?” Lan asked.

“Yeah, I’ll probably have to make a statement tomorrow but that can wait.”

“Let me say goodbye and thanks to Doyle and Bodie. I’ll tell them I’m coming back with you.”

Sean nodded, “I’ll come too. I think there’s a lot I need to thank them for as well.”

Ten minutes later, after thanking the men from CI5 for all their help and promising to contact them in the morning, Lan let himself sink into the passenger seat of Sean’s car. He was almost asleep by the time Sean joined him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once home, Lan took some painkillers before hauling his battered body upstairs to the bathroom. He desperately needed a shower but, with adrenalin no longer coursing through his body, he was exhausted. Sean came up behind him as he was eyeing the side of the bath and wondering if he had the energy to climb in.

“You want a shower?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I can be arsed.”

Sean steered him over to the toilet seat and made him sit down. “You get your clothes off and I’ll help you.”

“Only if you get in there with me.”

“You have to ask?” Sean said as he began to strip off his own clothes.

Pulling off his t-shirt and dropping it on the floor, Lan lurched to his feet and began to undo his jeans. Standing, he let them slip down around his ankles and with minor juggling pulled his feet free. He watched, enjoying the sight as a nude Sean began adjusting the water flow to find the optimum temperature. 

He held out his hand so that Lan could use his support to climb into the bath and move under the spray. Lan let himself relax as Sean soaped his hair, moving further under the spray to wash off the soap. Then he let Sean wash him, smoothing shower gel over his skin with a small sponge and then rinsing. There wasn’t anything sexual in his actions, just tenderness and caring. Turning into Sean’s arms, Lan put his head on Sean’s shoulder and hugged him. “Thanks, love. You always know just what I need.” 

After drying off quickly, they got into bed and Sean automatically pulled Lan closer so that his head was pillowed on Sean’s shoulder. 

“It’s a good job the weather is colder, I’m going to be wearing a scarf for the next week to hide the bruises and avoid awkward questions.”

“Why awkward questions?” Sean’s comment was matter of fact, as though reporting the attack was a forgone conclusion.

“It’s complicated and will lead to more questions than I have explanations for.”

Sean shifted under him, “You want to explain that to me?”

Lan nodded, knowing that, in this position, Sean could feel the movement. He took a deep breath. “Okay promise me that you’ll hear me out. I can‘t shout or argue with you because my throat hurts. What I’m going to say is unbelievable and, if it hadn’t happened to me, I’m not sure I’d believe it either.”

“Okay,” Sean murmured.

“Remember the first case I worked with you, when I joined the squad?”

“Yeah. The dog fighting tip off that turned into a murder case. The honourable Marcus ended up doing life in Broadmoor for that.”

“You remember I told you to get divers to look in the canal for bodies?”

“Yeah, never figured out how you knew they were there. You said you’d seen something but it never fitted in with the timescale.”

“I did see him dump the girl’s body, Sean. But it was a memory of what had already happened. Some people would call them visions I suppose. They don’t happen a lot, just when I’m stressed or in trouble but not always, even then. Before this I’ve never told a soul about it, not even my mum.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“As long as I can remember. I was brought up in an old house which was full of history. I saw the people who used to live there. I talked to them all the time. Mum called them my imaginary friends. As I got older, I realised no one else could see them so I stopped talking to them, at least when anyone else was around. The visions also got less as I got older and it would depend where I was. Travelling on the tube is something I always hate, so many of the lines have been built through old graveyards and there have been some awful tragedies, at Bank station and Bethnal Green during the war especially. There are always ghosts or spirits around. Most of them ignore me but some try to talk to me.”

“Jesus, Lan. That’s an awful lot to take in at once. If I hadn’t seen the results with Marcus I’d be tempted to think you were yanking my chain.”

“It’s all true, Sean. And tonight, when I was at the club, I suddenly had this awful feeling that something was wrong, that you were in danger. When I’ve had those feelings before, they’ve never been wrong. I tried to phone you but there was no answer because you’d left to go to see Cox. I knew I had to find you, so I left the club and ran down to Aldwych tube station thinking I could get the train back here. While I was waiting on the platform I was attacked.”

“And if I could get my hands on the bastard I’d make him regret the day he was born.” 

Lan shook his head, “That’s just it Sean, I was attacked by a ghost. He told me –“

“Ghost?” 

“Yes, a ghost. Remember you promised to hear me out, no matter how unbelievable.”

“Okay, sorry. How did you know it was a ghost?”

Lan laughed. “Because he looked like a seventeenth century cavalier and my hands went through him when I tried to hit him.” 

“Why did he attack you? I can’t believe I’m accepting that you were attacked by a ghost so easily, by the way.” Sean pressed his lips against Lan’s forehead. “If it was anyone else but you, I’d be calling for the men in white coats right now.”

Nuzzling Sean’s throat, Lan went on, “He said an ancestor of mine called Thomas Hobbes had murdered his family with witchcraft. He wanted revenge.”

“What?”

“He also said my gift was hereditary.” Lan knew his voice was failing and that he should stop talking but he needed Sean to understand. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it if Sean couldn’t accept what he was saying.

Sean’s hand began to move slowly up and down his back, soothing him. “So do you know anything about your family history? Is there any way of checking? If we could confirm some of the facts, we might be able to figure out if the ghost was telling the truth.”

Lan thought for a minute. “There’s supposed to be an old family bible dating back several hundred years somewhere. That might have some information. I’ll try to work out a way to ask my mum about it tomorrow.”

Suddenly Sean sat bolt upright and turned on the light, “Wait a minute. This bloke wants revenge; does that mean he’s going to come after you again because he didn’t succeed?”

Lan switched off the light and pulled Sean down with him, snuggling once more. “No, it’s okay. He said he came after me because it was Halloween and the border between the worlds of the living and dead is thinner. I took that to mean I’m safe now, at least until next year.”

“Fucking hell, Lan. We’re going to have to do something about this before then!”

“Yeah, I know. But right now I need to sleep and I need you here with me.”

“I’ll always be here, Lan, you know that.”

Lan smiled. “Yeah, I do. Love you, Sean.”

“Love you too.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having survived the ghost's attack Lan is looking for some answers and a chat with his mum reveals more than expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I can't get the images to appear in a new page or tab automatically as that HTML doesn't appear to be allowed. My recommendation is to right click on the images and open in a new tab or window otherwise you will get moved off the page and will have to navigate back to it. :)

He wasn’t sure if it was a noise, or rolling over and his flailing arm finding the other side of the bed empty, that woke him. But, as soon as he missed the familiar warmth, Sean’s eyes shot open. The duvet was thrown back on Lan’s side of the bed and the sheet was cool to the touch.

Panic kicked in immediately. He’d not had long enough to come to terms with the idea that he’d nearly lost Lan, to react to his absence now with ease. After all, it wasn’t every day you hear your lover, and the other half of your soul, has been attacked by something supernatural. 

Hurriedly, he pushed himself out of bed and searched the floor for something to wear. Lan had slept restlessly, which was to be expected, but it had left Sean so tired it took a huge effort to get his mind to function properly. Finding yesterday’s boxers he spent several seconds hopping around on one leg before heading towards the stairs. 

His eyes kept trying to slide shut and he only narrowly escaped killing himself by tumbling headlong down the stairs. His mind came back into focus rapidly when he heard sounds from the kitchen. Panic gripped him again and wondering if he would ever feel confident about Lan’s safety again, he pushed open the kitchen door and rushed inside. 

He scanned the kitchen quickly spotting Lan sitting at the kitchen table, the phone receiver jammed under one ear. 

His lifted eyebrow at Sean’s hurried arrival and state of undress raised a smile and, despite his tiredness, the interest of another part of Sean's anatomy. Mind you, walking in on your lover, who looks freshly ravished because he’s not long crawled out of bed, and who is wearing very low riding boxers and a sinfully tight t-shirt, would be enough to raise the hopes of a monk.

Lan indicated the phone receiver and mouthed, “My mum,” before gesturing towards a half pot of coffee sitting on the worktop. Sean nodded and started in the direction of the precious liquid. He’d only managed a couple of steps before he stubbed his toe on one of the chairs placed around the table. Pain flashed through him and he was torn between trying to balance sufficiently to grab at the painful appendage and walking to try to ease the pain. At the same time he started cursing, “Fucking, bollocksing, chair! I’m going to chop the bloody thing up for firewood!”

Hopping around, he caught sight of Lan’s shocked face and realised too late that Sonia had probably heard every shouted obscenity. Groaning, he pulled out the offending chair and flopped down onto the seat, folding his arms on the table and then burying his face there. He really needed to sleep for at least another couple of hours.

He heard Lan say in a husky voice, “Look mum, I think I ought to go now and make sure Sean’s okay… He stubbed his toe… Yes I’m fine… Okay, call me back with the information. Love you.”

When he heard the sound of the receiver being replaced, Sean lifted his head, “Sorry about the swearing. It bloody hurt.”

Lan waved his hand dismissively and whispered, “Don’t worry about it. She’s heard much worse from me in the past.”

Sean nodded. “Good.”

Lan got up and walked over to the coffee machine, refilling his mug and pouring another for Sean, “Black or white this morning?”

“White, please.”

Carrying the mugs, Lan walked back to the table. Once he’d put them down Sean pushed his chair back from the table. He couldn't resist the temptation to run his hand briefly across Lan’s taut stomach. Letting his arm hang down, he wrapped his fingers around Lan’s ankle, moving his hand up slowly. He continued the movement up the inside of Lan’s calf, his thumb caressing the back of his knee in passing, until his hand was drifting slowly along the inside of Lan’s thigh. He only stopped when he reached the fabric of Lan’s boxers.

Squirming, Lan tried to move away but Sean twisted his body slightly and looped an arm around his waist pulling Lan down onto his lap. Sean was already hard and the sensation of his cock pressing against Lan’s cleft generally made Lan equally randy. It wasn’t great foreplay but on occasion it was all that was needed for some amazing sex. 

Letting the hand around Lan’s waist slip lower, Sean pushed the waistband of his boxers down until he could get his fingers around Lan’s cock. A few practised movements of his hand and Lan was hard and leaking. The kitchen chair was creaking with their combined weight so Sean growled against Lan’s ear, “Upstairs, yeah?”

With one last thrust through Sean’s fingers, Lan panted, “Oh God, yes. You don’t know how much I need this.”

Leaving their untouched coffee on the table they ran for the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prep done, Sean knelt between Lan's thighs, lined himself up and slowly slid inside. The tight heat threatened to take his breath away as it always did when they were together. Taking his time, Sean let himself really feel the sensation of being buried inside his lover. At the back of his mind was the reminder that he’d come so close to losing the most important thing in his life and he vowed to spend as long as it took making sure Lan understood exactly what he meant to him.

Knowing the sensation of moving inside Lan's body was going to make him come very soon, Sean slowed the pace. Then, when he was buried fully inside, Sean lowered his upper body until he was resting over his partner. Deliberately ignoring the angry red marks around Lan's neck, Sean lowered his head. Lan lifted his head to devour Sean's lips, his kisses wet and tinged with desperation. 

Supporting himself on his elbows Sean rolled his hips, moving just enough to stimulate Lan’s prostate. He knew he was on target when the sounds from his lover became even more debauched. Clamping his legs around Sean's waist Lan attempted to control the speed and force of their coupling. Ignoring the pressure, Sean continued to move at his own pace, making every thrust with pin-point accuracy, until Lan’s head fell limply back on the pillow and he could do nothing but gasp for air. 

Lan’s ear was next to Sean’s mouth so he licked the skin there and whispered, “Touch yourself. Make yourself come. I want to feel you tighten around me and make me come too.” Then he bit down on the lobe.

With a sigh of abandon, Lan stroked himself twice before coming convulsively, his arse clenching almost unbearably. Sean’s own orgasm overtook him and he collapsed forward too exhausted to move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, Sean headed downstairs for the second time. This time he'd woken before Lan and managed to shower and dress without disturbing him. He'd eventually woken his lover with a fresh cup of coffee and the promise of brunch.

They had just started eating when Sean asked, “Did your mum phone you this morning? Only I thought I heard it ring just as I was waking up.”

“Sounds about right. She rang while I was making coffee.”

Sean was pleased to notice Lan's voice sounded better than it had a couple of hours ago.

Concentrating on buttering his toast for a moment, Sean asked, “Did she want anything in particular or just a chat?” He tried to make the question sound casual but knew it was a lost cause, Lan would, as usual, see through him in a moment.

Smiling, Lan said, “No, she didn't want a chat as you well know. She knew something was wrong.”

“Bloody hell! Does that mean she has your ability to see things too?”

“Not as far as I know, at least she never mentioned it. She has a really good sense of something being wrong though. When I was a kid she was always waiting with the antiseptic when I got home after falling and grazing my knee or being stung by something. She had the same feeling only worse last night and when we didn't answer the phone she started to worry. The really bad feeling went off after a while and she knew that the Met would contact her if anything was really wrong so she didn't come over. But that's why she rang so early – to put her mind at rest.”

After swallowing a bite of sausage, Sean said, “Last night you mentioned trying to find out more about your family. Did you manage to ask her about that?”

“Yeah. She's going to try to decipher what’s written in the back of the family bible and see if she can find Thomas Hobbs there.”

“Did the ghost say anything else, apart from the bit about revenge and your gift running in the family?”

Lan put his knife and fork down. “Not really. Just that and the part about Hallowe'en being the time when he was able to get to me. He definitely mentioned witchcraft and the name. Then he grabbed me around the throat and tried to choke me. He must have let go when I stopped breathing.”

“What!”

Lan looked embarrassed, “Sorry, I didn't really want you to know that part.”

“Why the fuck not?” Sean snapped.

“I didn't want to worry you more than necessary. I’m here and breathing and not a lot worse for wear. There didn't seem any point in making something out of Doyle giving me mouth-to-mouth.”

“Worry me?” Sean knew his voice had already climbed an octave. “You tell me you're being stalked by a psycho Cavalier from the past, who claims your ancestor killed his family without a minute's pause, but you don't tell me that you had to get mouth to mouth from CI-bloody-5!”

Lan pushed his chair back from the table with a screech and stood. “Because I knew you'd get arsey with me – that's why.”

Making himself stop to think before he answered, Sean took a deep breath. He needed to make Lan understand the reasons for his reaction. Reaching for Lan's hand Sean ignored the mess in the kitchen and pulled him into the living room. Setting himself down on the sofa, he made Lan sit down beside him. “Now listen carefully and try to understand what I mean rather than the words I say because I'm bound to fuck this up completely.”

Lan nodded slowly. “Okay I'll try.”

“I don't give a shit that you got up close and personal with Doyle. I'm bloody grateful that he was there to help you. I could have lost you last night, Lan, and the thought of that scares me shitless.”

“But...”

Sean shook his head, “No buts. You'd stopped breathing and if they hadn't come along you would have died and I would have lost you.” He couldn't remember the last time he cried about something personal, but his throat was tight and he could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. The urge to stop embarrassing himself and to bolt was increasing but before he could leave the room, Lan grabbed hold of him, pulling him close. Holding him tightly.

“It's okay, Sean, I'm here and I'm fine.”

Revealing the depths of his feelings made Sean feel as though he'd been pushed out of the players' tunnel at the start of a Wembley Cup Final stark bollock naked. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. Fortunately, Lan didn't let him dwell on it. 

Lan whispered in his ear, “It's okay, love, I never bought into the idea of you as a tough northern git. I always knew you had a soft centre.”

Smiling, Sean said, “You make me sound like a bloody boiled sweet. I hope you realise that boiled sweets are made to get sucked.”

Lan didn't answer, merely grinned. At least the grin was promising Sean decided.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They'd finished brunch and were cleaning up the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Sean looked over at Lan. “Are we expecting anyone today?”

Lan shrugged. “Not as far as I know.”

Throwing down the tea towel, Sean headed for the front door, aware that Lan had followed him part of the way and was now standing in the kitchen doorway.

Ignoring the urge to check through the spyhole and telling himself a ghost wouldn’t ring the bell, Sean opened the door. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Bodie and Doyle standing there. Maybe there was something to this psychic stuff and he had managed to absorb some of it from Lan!

Sean watched as both CI5 men's gaze shifted from him to over his shoulder, to where Lan was visible. 

Bodie spoke first, “Morning. We were passing and wanted to make sure that you hadn't had any more problems during the night.”

Frowning, Sean said, “What sort of problems were you expecting?”

“Nothing really. We're just making sure Lan's okay.” Doyle interjected before Sean started jumping to conclusions. 

Lan came forward. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

Not wanting to have any kind of conversation on the doorstep, Sean suggested, “Why don't you come in. We can talk more easily inside.”

Nodding, the two CI5 operatives came into the house with Lan leading the way into the living room.

“Tea or coffee?” Sean offered.

“Some tea would be great,” Bodie replied.

“Yeah, that would be good,” Doyle agreed.

“Lan?” Sean asked.

Lan shook his head. “No, I'm fine thanks, Sean.”

Leaving the rest of them in the living room, Sean filled the kettle. Keeping one ear on the conversation, he quickly made the tea. They were talking about the case Lan had been helping Bodie and Doyle with as Sean carried the mugs into the other room, putting them down carefully on the low table in front of the sofa. 

Lan pushed mugs towards both men. There was an awkward silence for several minutes until finally Bodie said, “We wondered if you'd reported the attack last night.”

Sean recognised the evasion in Lan's voice when he said, “No, not yet.”

Giving the impression that he'd seen through Lan's prevarication, Doyle suddenly said, “Are you going to?”

“Umm. I'm not sure,” Lan finally admitted.

“Why not?”

“It's complicated,” Lan said.

Sitting forward to put his mug on the table, Bodie said, “You don't have to worry that you will say anything to affect what we're working on. If anything gets too close to home, Cowley will just have a D notice slapped on the press.”

“That's good to know,” Lan said.

Attempting to move Bodie's attention away from Lan, Sean said, “Lan told me a bit more about what happened last night. It was really good that you were there. Things could have been a lot different if you hadn't been able to help him.”

Doyle shrugged. “No big deal. Besides Lan was only put in danger because he'd been helping us out.”

Sean nodded and took a sip from his mug of tea. 

An uncomfortable silence grew in the room.

Finally Bodie said, “So why aren't you going to report the attack then, Lan?”

“Because no one would believe me.”

“What do you mean?” Bodie pushed.

Lan squirmed uncomfortably and looked over at Sean for help. His first thought was to attempt to evade the question but Sean knew that neither of the CI5 men would drop the subject until they had an answer. Eventually Sean lifted his shoulders in helplessness. They stood a good chance of being thought of as mad but what else could they say but the truth? Deep down he instinctively had the feeling that Bodie at least would be more open-minded.

Nodding, Lan began to tell his story. As he spoke Sean watched Bodie and Doyle trying to gauge their reaction. At least they had the manners to listen until Lan had finished without commenting.

As soon as Lan fell silent Doyle began to laugh. Lan turned, a look of hurt on his face, so Sean had to say something.

“What the fuck are you laughing about?”

“It's a good story but do you honestly expect us to believe that Lan was attacked by a ghost?”

“Why not? I do.” Sean spoke forcefully.

Taken aback Doyle said, “Seriously?”

“Yes I do. I've known Lan for a couple of years and his ability has helped put at least one person behind bars who would have walked free otherwise.”

Bodie interrupted, “So what do you know about your family history? Anyone called Hobbs?”

“I'm not really sure. I've asked my mum a few questions and she's going to ring me back later today with any information she can find. I always thought my family originally came over to England from America a bit before the First World War.”

“But the ghost said something about this story going back three hundred years.”

Lan nodded, “I know and that's what puzzles me. As far as I know the family were on the other side of the Atlantic three hundred years ago.”

“Yeah, but they had to get there somehow. Do you know when or why they first emigrated?”

“Not really.”

Sean saw Bodie and Doyle exchange a glance before Bodie said, “Okay so if your mother comes up with something useful or a reference to the name Hobbs there might be something to the story.”

Lan stared at Bodie. “You believe me?”

Bodie nodded. “I believe you. I was in Africa for a while and saw some of the weirdest shit.”

“But,” Lan protested, “he said my ancestor killed his family using witchcraft!”

Sean offered, “There was a lot of rubbish said about witches at the time. Remember the witch hunts in Essex and places like that. There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation but grief made him blame it on witchcraft. ”

“So how do I convince him otherwise? He said that the reason I could see and hear him was because of the power that had been handed down through the family to me.”

Nodding thoughtfully Sean agreed, “Yeah, that’s going to be a problem.”

Before anyone could say more the phone rang. Lan picked it up. “Hello... Oh Mum, it’s you… So what can you tell me?”

Sean found himself ignoring their visitors and almost holding his breath while waiting for Sonia to tell Lan what she’d discovered.

Lan reached across the coffee table and snagged a pad and pencil. He began to scribble on the pad while everyone waited in silence, listening in to his end of the conversation.

“Right… So where was he born? I didn’t realise that… With an e? Okay thanks, Mum… Yeah, that gives me the information I needed… See you soon.” With a dazed expression on his face Lan put the phone down and turned to Sean.

Unable to bear the tension, Sean said, “So what did she say? Are you related to someone called Thomas Hobbs?”

Silently, Lan held out the sheets of paper he’d been writing on.

[ ](http://www.blueskydancers.com/lj_images/bloom_tree_1.jpg)

[ ](http://www.blueskydancers.com/lj_images/bloom_tree_2.jpg)

Sean scanned the pages, trying to decipher Lan’s notes. Then he saw it halfway down the second side, Thomas Hobbes. Dry mouthed, he looked over at Lan who was standing rigidly, his eyes fixed on Sean.

“He was my eight times great grandfather.”

Absolute silence greeted Lan's words. Then Sean looked over at Doyle, letting an 'I told you so smile' cover his face. Doyle returned the look with a shrug but Bodie, on the other hand, looked smug.

He elbowed Doyle in the side and said, "You owe me a fiver. I told you there was more going on than the obvious."

Lan sighed. "Well I guess that proves I didn't imagine it or make the story up. I'm just grateful I don't need to worry again until Hallowe'en next year."

Doyle said, "Next Hallowe'en huh? That's when it's all likely to kick off again?"

At Lan's nod, Bodie said, "I suspect we'll find a good reason to be in the area."

No matter how much the pair from CI5 had pissed him off, those couple of comments gave Sean a feeling of enormous relief. He said, "I'd be glad to see you."

"Me too," Lan chipped in.

After handshakes all round, the men from CI5 left.

Closing the front door behind them Sean looked at Lan. "Yep, I'd definitely be glad to see them again - but maybe not until next year! In the meantime, I've got you all to myself and that sounds bloody good to me!"


	8. Epilogue

**November 1982**  
Sean couldn’t sleep. It felt like he’d been tossing and turning for ages but when he looked at the clock it had been less than an hour. He couldn’t get the knowledge of what had happened on Saturday evening out of his head and knowing that the ghost was likely to return the following year didn’t help his peace of mind one bit. The thought that Lan would have to face the same danger every Halloween for possibly the rest of his life scared Sean to his bones. The bloody ghost had likely been plotting his revenge for years but Lan had no way of knowing what was coming and no way to prepare to combat it.

After several more fruitless minutes of restlessness, he decided to get up. Lan needed to catch up on his sleep and he would only disturb him if he stayed put. He’d barely pushed the bedclothes aside and sat up when Lan spoke in the darkness.

“Can’t you sleep either?”

“Nah. Too bloody wound up. I keep going over and over what happened on Saturday.”

Lan sat up, switching on his bedside light and leaning against the headboard. “Me too. I’m still trying to work out why he's only started coming after me now. I’m twenty-seven for God’s sake and there have already been a lot of Halloweens in my life. If he’d come after me when I was a child he’d have had a lot better chance of succeeding in killing me.”

Sean turned to lie on his side, propping his head on his hand. “It’s been puzzling me too. I’ve known you for a couple of years and offhand can't recall anything happening at Halloween. Did anything odd happen before we met?”

As though reading his thoughts Lan answered immediately, “Not that I can remember. I joined your team in October 1980 and the first job we worked on was the dog fighting ring. When we took the Honourable Marcus down.”

“Yeah we did. You got hurt and saw him dumping a body." Sean felt himself grow cold as an awful realisation set in. "Do you remember the exact date?” He asked the question hoping to hell that he was wrong.

“Hmmm... It was towards the end of the month and I remember it happened on a Friday.”

“Hang on a second.” Sean pulled an old notebook out of his bedside table and flicked through the pages. He finally found the right page and with a sinking heart showed it to Lan. “Look, we raided Marcus’ place on Friday 31st October. Halloween.”

“Shit!” Lan shivered. “That was the first time I'd had a real vision in years. I thought the ability had disappeared up until then.”

“Yeah, and you got hurt too. Marcus broke your arm.”

“Do you reckon that could have been the trigger? You know, somehow having the vision and getting hurt on that day made me visible to the ghost?" Lan sighed. "I really wish I knew his name so I could find out more about his history and maybe get to the bottom of the story.”

“I have no bloody clue. Seems a bit of a coincidence though.” Sean shrugged, he simply didn’t know enough.

“Okay, so what about last year?” Lan asked eagerly, his interest piqued. “What happened...”

Sean knew the instant Lan remembered because his expression changed to one of apprehension. Then, he whispered, “Brian O'Donnell.”

“Yeah.” Sean nodded. “Just worked that one out for myself too.”

Sean put the hand he wasn't using to support his head on Lan's stomach, close to the scar left by Brian O'Donnell's handiwork. When Lan's fingers joined his, unconsciously stroking the puckered skin, Sean linked their fingers.

Finally, in a resigned voice, Lan said, “So does that mean he can control others? Make them do things for him? Or was all a coincidence?”

“I don't know the answer to that one, love. I wish I did. Wouldn't make life any easier, we'd end up be jumping at shadows and suspecting anyone who came near us.”

“You can say that again.” Lan slid down in the bed until his head was level with Sean's, then he turned on his side so that they were facing each other. Their hands had remained clasped throughout the manoeuvre. "The good thing now is that he's not going to be able to try anything else until next year."

Sean nodded and yawned. At least there was one positive aspect he could take away from this whole thing.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a sly look on Lan's face. "What?"

Lan didn't answer, he just slid closer, until their hips nearly made contact. Pushing their joined hands lower, he encouraged Sean to wrap their fingers around their cocks.

It only took a couple of strokes until Sean was as hard as iron. He needed little persuasion to start moving his hips, thrusting through the ring made by their clasped hands, especially when Lan did the same, moving in time with him. The sensation of their flesh rubbing together and the way Lan's thumb flicked out to rub over the head of his cock at the end of each upward stroke had him on edge within moments and in no time they were coming, their combined seed spilling over their hands.

Ignoring the stickiness's between them, Sean rolled onto his back, pulling Lan over with him. With his clean, left hand, he stroked his lover's back. Occasionally letting his fingers dip into Lan's cleft. Muttering, Lan wriggled around until his leg rested over both of Sean's trapping him.

"How am I going to get a cloth to clean us up now?" Sean asked.

"Don't care," Lan mumbled. His tone telling Sean that he was already half asleep.

Deciding that he'd deal with the dried on come, and anything else, in the morning, Sean nodded. "Okay, love. Go to sleep now and I'll keep you safe."

Lan yawned against his shoulder. "You always do, Seanie. But remember to sleep yourself or you won't be up to shagging me senseless tomorrow."

Dropping a final kiss on Lan's hair, Sean smiled. "That's something I'll always find the energy for. Always."

His thoughts at peace for now, Sean didn't notice when he too slipped off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Butcher's is cockney rhyming slang. Butcher's hook = look
> 
> Gone walkies = missing
> 
> Please ask if anything else doesn't make sense, I tend to use these terms without thinking!


End file.
